Pipe bevel cutting or scarfing tools traditionally utilize a rotatable housing that encircles a pilot piece such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,649, which issued on Jun. 18, 1974. This is a very heavy and cumbersome structure. A separate bevel cutting tool is required for each specific outside diameter of pipe. This requires the chucking and removing of the bevel cutting tool from the power drill and then inserting and re-chucking a bevel cutting tool for each pipe having a different outside diameter. This is a very time consuming process. In addition, the cutting blades are secured to the inside of the enclosed housing. It is, therefore, very difficult to remove and exchange these cutting blades.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,165, which issued on Sep. 11, 1990, discloses a pipe tapering device having complex mechanism that includes cam means, cam followers, flange means and circumferentially spaced grinders. This is a complex and expensive device with associated high maintenance expenditures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,382, which issued on Oct. 5, 1999, discloses a pipe beveler that includes a frustoconical collar having abrasive material on the inside surface. The abrasive material wears off quickly and there must be a separate size collar for each size of pipe having a different outside diameter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,778, which issued on Apr. 16, 1991, discloses a portable power tool for milling tube ends. This mill cutter includes an enclosed structure that corresponds to the outside diameter of the pipe that requires bevel cutting.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,748, which issued on Mar. 25, 1975, discloses a hand crank bevel cutting tool that has an enclosure and an adjustable and retractable cutting tool. It would appear that either time consuming modification or a larger or smaller version of this device is required to bevel pipes of differing outside diameter.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for beveling an end of a pipe includes a base member operatively attached to a ring member by a plurality of support members, and at least one cutting blade removably attached to at least one support member.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for bevel cutting pipe includes inserting an end of a pipe into a rotating pipe bevel cutting tool that includes a base member operatively attached to a ring member by at least one ring support member and at least one blade support member having a blade that is removedly attached to the at least one blade support member.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a cutting blade is provided for bevel cutting pipe, the blade having top and bottom edges, wherein the top edge and the bottom edge of the blade are preferably helical along the longitudinal axis of the blade.